Dust cloths for removing dust from a surface to be cleaned (e.g., a table) are generally known. Such known dust cloths are typically made of woven or non-woven fabrics and are often sprayed or coated with a wet, oily substance for retaining the dust. However, such dust cloths can leave an oily film on the surface being cleaned.
Other known dust cloths include non-woven entangled fibers having spaces between the entangled fibers for retaining the dust. The entangled fibers are typically supported by a network grid or scrim structure, which can provide additional strength to such cloths. However, such cloths can become saturated with the dust during use (i.e., dust buildup) and/or may not be completely effective at picking up dense particles, large particles or other debris.
Facial tissues for removing bodily fluids (e.g., mucus) and debris (e.g., makeup) from a user are also generally known. Such facial tissues may include a moisturizer, oil or antibacterial agent to soothe the skin of the user. Such facial tissues typically are made of loose weave pulp fibers (e.g., entangled by an xe2x80x9cair laidxe2x80x9d process), and have a relatively low basis weight. Such facial tissues are typically drawn from a storage container, such as a flexible package or a rigid xe2x80x9ctissue box.xe2x80x9d However, a problem with such facial tissues is that they are easily torn or broken, and do not effectively retain or attract common household debris particles such as dirt. Further, such facial tissues typically will not hold an electric charge for a period longer than a few seconds, due in part to their composition (typically paper pulp).
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a cleaning sheet that can pick up and retain dust and debris. It would also be advantageous to provide a cleaning sheet that has an enhanced dust collection capacity. It would also be advantageous to provide a cleaning sheet that attracts debris without the use of a significant amount of an oily additive. It would also be advantageous to provide a cleaning sheet that retains relatively large and/or denser particles of debris. It would also be advantageous to provide a cleaning sheet that is relatively strong. It would further be advantageous to provide a cleaning sheet having any one or more of these or other advantageous features.
The present application relates generally to cleaning sheets, such as for use in cleaning surfaces (e.g., in the home or work environment). In particular, the application relates to a cleaning sheet for collecting and retaining dust, larger particles and/or other debris. More particularly, the present application relates to a cleaning sheet capable of having an electric charge induced by triboelectric effects. The cleaning sheet may be useful for cleaning and removing particles and other debris from a surface such as a table, floor, article of furniture or the like. Some embodiments of the cleaning sheet may include multiple layers to increase debris retention and/or strength. The sheet typically has a basis weight of at least about 30 g/m2.
In one embodiment, a system for cleaning and removing particles from a surface is provided. The system includes a cleaning sheet for collecting and retaining the particles, and may have a basis weight greater than about 30 g/m2. The system also typically includes a container for housing and dispensing the cleaning sheet. The container includes a charging surface configured to frictionally engage the cleaning sheet. When the cleaning sheet is passed across the charging surface, the electrostatic charge in the cleaning sheet may be increased by at least about 500 V and more desirably by at least about 1000 V.
The container may include an interior receptacle configured for housing a plurality of cleaning sheets. The container also generally includes an outlet for dispensing at least one of the cleaning sheets. The outlet includes at least one and more commonly two charging surfaces. The first charging surface and the second charging surface may each be configured to frictionally engage a cleaning sheet as it is dispensed through the outlet, thereby inducing an electrical charge in the cleaning sheet.
According to another embodiment, a method of cleaning a surface is provided. The method includes dispensing the cleaning sheet from a generally nonconductive container. The container may include at least one charging surface. The frictional engagement of the cleaning sheet against the first charging surface may increase an electrostatic charge of the cleaning sheet by at least about 500 V. The method also includes contacting the surface with the cleaning sheet.
According to another embodiment, a kit for cleaning surfaces and collecting and retaining debris is provided. The kit includes a cleaning head and a cleaning sheet adapted for coupling to the head. The kit also includes a container for housing and dispensing the cleaning sheet. The container has at least one charging surface configured to frictionally engage the cleaning sheet as it is dispensed from the container. This type of container allows a charge of at least about 1000 V to be frictionally induced in the cleaning sheet. The cleaning sheet is then contacted with the surface to be cleaned before the electrostatic charge has been substantially dissipated.
The cleaning sheet typically has a relatively low overall breaking strength in order to preserve a relative amount of flexibility. The term xe2x80x9cbreaking strengthxe2x80x9d as used in this disclosure means the value of a load (i.e., the first peak value during the measurement of the tensile strength) at which the cleaning sheet begins to break when a tensile load is applied to the cleaning sheet. The breaking strength of the sheet should be high enough to prevent xe2x80x9csheddingxe2x80x9d of fibers or tearing of the cleaning sheet during use. The breaking strength of the cleaning sheet is typically at least about 500 g/30 cm, and cleaning sheets with breaking strengths of 1,500 g/30 cm to 4,000 g/30 cm are quite suitable for use with the cleaning implements.
When intended to be used with a cleaning utensil, mounting structure, or the like, the cleaning sheet typically has a relatively low overall elongation to assist in resisting xe2x80x9cbunchingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpuckeringxe2x80x9d of the cleaning sheet. The term xe2x80x9celongationxe2x80x9d as used in this disclosure means the elongation percentage (%) of the cleaning sheet when a tensile load of 500 g/30 mm is applied. For example, when designed to be used in conjunction with a mop or similar cleaning implement where the cleaning sheet is fixedly mounted, the present cleaning sheets typically may have an elongation of no more than about 25% and, preferably, no more than about 15%.
The terms xe2x80x9csurfacexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csurface to be cleanedxe2x80x9d as used in this disclosure are broad terms and are not intended as terms of limitation. The term surface as used in this disclosure includes substantially hard or rigid surfaces (e.g., plastic, wood, articles of furniture, tables, shelving, floors, ceilings, hard furnishings, household appliances, glass, and the like), as well as relatively softer or semi-rigid surfaces (e.g., rugs, carpets, fabrics soft furnishings, linens, clothing, flesh and the like).
The term xe2x80x9cdebrisxe2x80x9d as used in this disclosure is a broad term and is not intended as a term of limitation. In addition to dust and other fine particulate matter, the term debris includes relatively large-sized particulate material (e.g., having an average diameter greater than about 1 mm) such as large-sized dirt, food particles, crumbs, soil, sand, lint, and waste pieces of fibers and hair, which may not be collected with conventional dust rags, as well as dust and other fine particulate matter.
Throughout this disclosure, the text refers to various embodiments of the cleaning sheet and/or methods of using the sheet. The various embodiments discussed are merely illustrative and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. The various embodiments described are intended to provide a variety of illustrative examples and should not necessarily be construed as descriptions of alternative species since the descriptions of the various embodiments may be of overlapping scope.